Stringed musical instrument.



892 71s. PATENTED JULY 7 1908. N0 v 0.. L. GESBLL.

STRINGBD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIGATION PILED AUG. 26. 1907.

2 SHEETSSHBET Wit" eases No. 892,718. PATENTED JULY 7, 1908. O. L. GESELL. STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED 1907 2 sums-:snnm 2.

OTTO L. GESELL,

or ELMA,1OWA.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 7, 1908.

Application filed August 26, 1907. Serial No. 390,200.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'rro L. GEsELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elma, in the county of Howard, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention has reference to stringed musical instruments and it aims to provide a device of that class having a keyboard similar to that of a piano, the wires and their hammer mechanism, however, being replaced by a series of strings similar to those of a harp and vibrated by picks carried by a revolving plate.

The invention further resides in the provision of certain particular means for effecting the endwise movement of the shafts which carry the pick plates and are each provided, in addition, with a clutch member which is fast thereon, and in the provision of means for effecting the revolution of each of the relatively stationary clutch members, with which the first mentioned clutch members are adapted to engage.

l/Vith the above and other ends in view the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, all

as hereinafter fully described, specifically claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar parts are designated by corresponding reference characters throughout the several views.

Of the said drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 33 and 4-1 of Fig. 2, Fig.5 is an enlarged perspective view of the clutch, Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the pick plates, Fig. 7 is a similar view of one of the drlving pulleys.

In Fig. 1 a portion of the case of the instrument is broken away, to illustrate the position of the pedal mechanism, and the muffler.

Referrring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the case of the instrument, 2 the pedals, 3 the keyboard and 4 the strings, which last are disposed vertically adjacent the rear wall of the case, and are secured at opposite ends to a frame of any ordinary type. Each pedal which is pivoted centrally to a vertical post, has its upper end connected to the adjacent end of a pitman 5 which extends into the interior of the instrument case and has its opposite end pivoted to a crank pin 6 set into one face of a driver pulley ,7, the free ends 8 of the pins being journaled in bearings formed in brackets secured to the floor of the case. This pulley is connected by a belt 9 with the central member of a series of grooved pulleys 11 which are likewise driven by said belt and are rotated simultaneously thereby.

Each pulley 11 is provided with an axial bearing sleeve 13 through which a horizontally-disposed shaft 14 has an endwise movement, each of said shafts carrying at its rear end an elliptical plate 15 provided with a pair of picks 16. Each pulley 11, furthermore, serves as the stationary member of a clutch and to this end its forward face is provided with a friction ring 17 which engages a similar ring 18 set into the face of a second clutch pulley 19, keyed to the corresponding shaft 14:, so as to rotate and move therewith, the independent movement of said pulley 19, however, being very slight.

The pulleys are normally maintained out of contact with each other by means of an expansible coil-spring 20 with which each shaft is provided, the forward end' of each shaft being disposed directly in contact with a depending shoulder 21 formed upon the rear end of the corresponding key 3, there being a shaft for every key of thekeyboard, as will be understood. Each key is pivoted at its rear end, as shown, and its forward end is held in slightly raised or operative position by means of the contact of the shaft 14 against its shoulder. Each shaft is further provided with a cushioning spring 22 which embraces the same and bears at opposite ends against the clutch member 19 and a collar formed on the shaft, thus permitting said clutch member to yield slightly on being forced into contact with the corresponding clutch member 11.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent, that when any key is struck, the corresponding shaft 14 will be moved for wardly until the friction face of the clutch pulley 19 engages the friction face of the corresponding pulley 11, whereupon the rotation at the shaft will commence. Continued movement of the shaft will bring the picks on its pick plate into contact with the adj acent string 4, vibrating thelatter, as will be understood. The several pulleys 11 and 19 are preferably inclosed by a muffler 23 in the nature of a rectangular box or housing, the shafts 14 projecting through openings formed in the rear wall thereof.

The belt 9 which serves as the connection between the main drive pulley 7 and the series of pulleys 11 may be tightened to a certain extent by means of a pair of guide pulleys 24 around which it passes, said pulleys being rendered adjustable by an Y preferred means. The case of the instrument is fur ther provided with a longitudinal strip 25 secured to the front wall thereof and adapted to limit the downward movement of the keys.

It is not intended that the invention be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as modifications and changes may obviously be made within the scope of the appended claims.

That is claimed, is,

1. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a key-board, a downwardly extending shoulder formed on each key, a string corresponding to each key, endwise movable shafts each having one end disposed adjacent the shoulder of a key, and a pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft at the opposite end thereof, and adapted to be moved into engagement with the adjacent string when the corresponding key is struck.

2. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a keyboard, a downwardly-extending shoulder formed upon each key of the keyboard, a string corresponding to each key, endwise movable, rotatable shafts each having one end disposed adjacent the shoulder of a key, a pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft at the opposite end thereof and adapted to be moved into' engagement with the adj acent string when the corresponding key is struck, and means for rotating each shaft during its endwise movement.

3. 'The combination, in a musical instrument, of a keyboard, a string corresponding to each key thereof, a drive pulley, a series of continuously rotating pulleys, a driving connection between said drive pulley and continuously rotating pulleys, endwise movable shafts each operably connected with a key and slidably engaged with a continuously rotating pulley, means carried by each of said endwise movable shafts for engagement with the corresponding pulley, to effect the rotation of said shaft during its endwise movement, and a string-vibrating pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft.

4. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a keyboard, a string corresponding to each key thereof, a main drive pulley, a series of continuously rotating pulleys, a driving connection between said drive pulley and said series of continuously rotating pulleys, endwise movable shafts each operably connected with a key and slidably engaged sea? is with a continuously rotating pulley, means carried by each of said endwise movable shafts for engagement with the corresponding pulley, to effect the rotation of said shaft during its endwise movement, and a stringvibrating pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft.

5. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a key-board, a string corresponding to each key thereof, a main drive pulley, a series of continuously rotating pulleys, a driving connection between said drive pulley and said series of continuously rotating pulleys, foot operated means for rotating said. drive ulley, endwise movable shafts each operab fy connected with a key and slidably engaged with a continuously rotating pulley, means carried by each of said endwise movable shafts for engagement with the corresponding pulley, to effect the rotation of said shaft during its endwise movement, and a string-vibrating pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft.

6. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a key-board, a string corresponding to each key thereof, a series of continuously rotating pulleys each having a clutch face, endwise movable shafts each operably con nected with akey and slidably engaged with a continuously rotating pulley, a c utcli pulley carried by each shaft and adapted to be moved into engagement with the rotating pulley thereon when the corresponding keyis struck, to effect the rotation of said shaft during its endwise movement and a string-vibrating pick-carrying plate secured to each shaft.

7. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a key-board, a string corresponding to each key thereof, a series of continuouslyrotating pulleys each provided with an axial sleeve and having its forward face adapted to form one member of a clutch, a shaft movable endwise through the sleeve of each of said continuously-rotating pulleys, and operatively connected with a key, a clutch pulley carried by each shaft and adapted to be moved into engagement with the rotating pulley thereon when the corresponding key is struck, to effect the rotation of said shaft during its endwise movement, a string-vibrating pickcarrying plate secured to each shaft,.and means interposed between the pair of pulleys on each shaft for holding the same normally out of engagement with each other.

8. The combination, in a musical instrument, of a key-board, a string corresponding to each key thereof, horizontally-disposed endwise movable shafts each operatively connected to a key, a pick-carrying plate carried by each shaft and movable into engagement with the adjacent string, and separate means for effecting the rotation of each shaft at a predetermined point in its forward movement, to cause the picks to vibrate said string.

9. The combination, in a musical instrushaft at a predetermined point in its forward ment, of a key-board, a downwardly extendmovement, to cause the picks to vibrate said ing shoulder formed on each key of the keystring. board, a string corresponding to each key, In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature,

5 horizontlally-iisposid 1:ndwise mfovabledkeyci in presence of two witnesses.

0 erate sha ts, eac avin its orwar en y ieldingly connected to tie shoulder of a OTTO Q key and movable into engagement with the Witnesses:

string corresponding to such key, and sepa- J. W. KLEMME,

10 rate means for effecting the rotation of each S. V. CHAPMAN. 

